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User blog:SPARTAN 119/Slaine Troyard (Aldnoah Zero) vs Oleg Lopatin (A World of Difference)
Yes, another release special. This one for the anime Aldnoah Zero on January 10th. Slaine Troyard, the son of a Terran scientist trapped in the Vers Empire, an empire of Martian colonists, who swore to protect his childhood friend, the princess of the Vers, from a conspiracy determined to murder her. VS Oleg Lopatin, the Soviet cosmonaut and KGB agent who landed on an alternate reality planet of Minerva, and armed a Soviet-supported nation of primitive aliens with AK-74s. Two men who played an integral role in the history of two civilizations in an alternate version of Mars, but... WHO IS DEADLIEST!? =The Defender: Slaine Troyard= Slaine Troyard is a major character in the 2014 sci-fi alternate history anime Aldnoah Zero. Slaine was born on Earth as the son of a scientist, who, in 2009, joins his father in visiting the Mars-based Vers Empire. In the final re-entry to Mars, Slaine's space capsule crashes into a water-filled structure- possibly some sort of cistern given the rarity of water on Mars- associated with the (presumed) Vers Imperial palace. The capsule crashes through the cistern, into the (waterless) floor below, but the capsule is flooded. Slaine manages to open the capsule, but the slips into unconciousness before it can fully drain. Fortunately, Slaine is rescued by Vers princess Asseylum Vers Allusia, who gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, saving his life. Slaine subsequently develops a close friendship with the princess, and possibly a romantic interest in her. Slaine considers himself deeply indebted to Asseylum, and presumably joined the Versian military in an effort to protect her. In spite of his young age, Slaine learns to expertly pilot a Versian transport aircraft or "Sky Carrier". In 2014, Asseylum visits Earth as part of a peace envoy, but she is apparently assassinated using anti-tank missiles. Slaine, now part of the invasion fleet, sent in retaliation for the death of the princess. By this time, however, Slaine has discovered that the assassination was a plot by Count Saazbaum and other Versian noble in an attempt to drag the empire into war with Earth. Slaine initially acts as the pilot of transport carrying Orbital Knight Sir Trillram's Kataphrakt mech, Nilokeras. The transport is attacked by a squadron of F-22 Raptors, but the energy shield covering the Nilokeras was extended to cover the Sky Carrier as well, and the missiles and cannon fire do no damage. Slaine, however, refuses to shoot his fellow Terrans, Trillram takes control of the Sky Carrier's defensive guns and shoots down all of the aircraft. Slaine later assists Trillram in battle against United Forces of Earth militia pilot Inaho Kaizuka, who challenged Trillram in a training Kataphrakt, in spite of the fact that Nilokeras had already destroyed platoons of Terran mechs, in the Battle of Shinawara Slaine's aircraft, however, is shot down by Inaho, who subsequently destroys the Nilokeras as well. After encountering Trillram, who escapes the destruction of his mech, Slaine shows his true colors, drawing his pistol and shooting Trillram, one of the conspirators in the assassination of the princess. During the battle, Slaine also catches a glimpse of Asseylum, who survived the assassination- a body double was killed in her place. This fills Slaine with a new determination to eliminate the conspirators and protect her. Slaine later goes on to use the armaments of his Sky Carrier to aid Inaho Kaizuka in crippling the mech used by Vers Countess Femieanne, who is killed by Rayet Areash shortly afterwards. In spite of his assistance, Inaho fires on Slaine for a second time, Inaho stating that he viewed Slaine's Sky Carrier as an enemy aircraft. However, when Slaine attempts to contact the Vers Emperor about the fact that his daughter is still alive, Slaine is captured by Count Cruhteo, and tortured for an extended period of time. Slaine, however, refuses to reveal anything about the princess. Slaine is later rescued by Count Saazbaum, who admits to plotting the assassination, and tells him he only rescued Slaine out of a debt he owed to his father. He then gives him the choice to join the battle on the side of Vers or go to Asseylum's side. Slaine remains aboard Saazbaum's spacecraft, or "Landing Castle", as it lands near the United Forces of Earth headquarters in Siberia. Slaine manages to activate the Martian Kataphrakt Tharsis, in spite of not having an Aldnoah activation factor. Slaine uses the mech in the defense against a UE attack in an attempt to push through UE forces, and get to Asseylum, who was with the UE entry team as she had the capability to shut down the Aldnoah drive powering the Landing Castle. Slaine, however, seems to side with Saazbaum, preventing Inaho from finishing him off, however, after Asseylum deactivates the Aldnoah drive, shutting down both Slaine and Saazbaum's Kataphrakts, he comes upon Saazbaum, who draws hims pistol and shoots Asseylum, apparently killing her. Infuriated, Slaine shoots Saazbaum several times until his pistol suffers a stovepipe jam. Saazbaum is wounded, but not killed, hit multiple times in the limbs and torso. Saazbaum points to his forehead, inviting Slaine to kil him, but does not, instead, after clearing the jam, Slaine walks over to Inaho and commands him to step back from the princess' body, referring to Inaho as "Orange", after the color of his KG-6 Sleipnir training mech. Inaho does not move away from Asseylum, only responding "Bat", referring to the bat-wing design of Slaine's Sky Carrier, and draws his sidearm. Slaine, however, shoots Inaho in the head before he can fire, apparently killing him. The fate of Inaho and Saazbaum are unknown after this point, though it can be presumed previews of the second season that Slaine escapes the Landing Castle, which has now fallen to UE forces, and that Asseylum was not actually killed, though she appears bound to a wheelchair in the previews. =The Target: Asseylum Vers Allusia= Asseylum Vers Allusia (アセイラム・ヴァース・アリューシア- Aseiramu Vāsu Aryūshia?, aka Princess Asseylum アセイラム姫 Aseiramu-hime) is one of the main characters of the ALDNOAH.ZERO television series. The Princess of the Vers Empire, daughter of Gilzeria, and granddaughter of Rayregalia Vers Rayvers. Asseylum is an idealist and pacifist. She believes in peaceful solutions and she sees the people of the Earth in a good light. Unlike many of the Martians shown so far, she seems to treat the people of Earth as equal humans. Asseylum appears to be regretful of the actions that led to the Second Earth-Mars War between the Martians and the people of Earth, yet she feels that she has the responsibility to help stop the war. Asseylum is kind, caring, and compassionate, however she is also naive, believing that if her grandfather found out that she were still alive, that the war would end. Asseylum later realizes her naivety, and that certain people of VERS were only using her as an excuse to start a war with Earth. Asseylum seems to also have a bold and decisive side, she is not particularly guarded around others being quickly open and friendly. Asseylum seems to prioritize the safety of others over herself, and takes her position as the Princess of VERS seriously. Asseylum has been remarked to be a beauty. (From Aldnoah Zero Wiki) Weapons and Equipment Vers Empire Handgun The Standard-issue handgun of the Vers Empire is a semi-automatic pistol with a compact design and a much shorter barrel than the Glock used by the United Forces of Earth. It will be assumed that the gun has a smaller magazine, in this case, 10 rounds, similar to a Glock 26 compact. The weapon will be assumed to have comparable range stopping power to a 9mm handgun. The weapon may be prone to jamming, as it suffers a jam when used by Slaine Troyard in the final episode of the anime. Holographic Disguise Princess Asseylum possesses a holographic device capable of projecting an entirely new appearance on her body, including changing her clothing, hair color, and even facial features. It is not known, however, if the object will allow her to change into disguises other than the one she uses in the anime (above), but it will be assumed she can, but that it will be limited to changing her to look like another person (and not for use as active camouflage). =The Attacker: Oleg Lopatin= Oleg Lopatin is a major character in Harry Turtledove's novel A World of Difference, in which the planet Mars is replaced by a planet closer to the Earth known as Minerva. Because of the difference in orbital position, Minerva proved able to support life. In 1976, the US Viking I probe discovered the planet was inhabited by a primitive alien race with a feudal-like society, though their technology is Neolithic, except for the fact that they also widely built structures out of ice, as the temperature never got above freezing. This resulted in the US and USSR competing to reach the planet. Back on Earth, the second space race resulted in the perpetuation of the Cold War, further exaccerbated by the death of Mikhail Gorbachev from a stroke. In 1984, both US and Soviet missions landed on Minerva. On board the Soviet shuttle Tsiolovsky was Oleg Lopatin, along with five others. Lopatin was a former KGB agent, and was fanatically loyal to the Soviet Union and Marxist ideals. Unlike the rest of the crew, who considered the possibility of cooperating with the Americans, Lopatin distrusted them, and openly spied on his fellow crew members. When the Russians were taken in by a Minervan domain master, Hogram of the Skarmer clan, he learned that he was planning to fight a war against the domain master supported by the Americans. In spite of the fact that Hogram was a proto-capitalist, Oleg still wished to give as much support to Hogram as possible- when Hogram forced the Russians to give one of the AK-74s on shuttle, Oleg volunteered to train the Minervans in the use of the weapon. Oleg supported the proto-capitalists, as according to the writings of Karl Marx, they were still more progressive than the US-supported feudalists of Reatur. Oleg accompanied the army of Fralk, the grandson of Hogram, across the Ervis Gorge, out of communications range from the Tsiolovsky. There, a Minervan named Juksal killed an American astronaut, Frank Marquard. Upon returning to Skarmer fortress, Oleg realized the Soviets would be blamed Marquard's death, a situation that threatened to spiral into nuclear war. Lopatin realized that, in order to prevent this, he had to defect to the crew of the American shuttle Athena. Oleg attempted to escape the Skarmer in the night, but he was apprehended and force to go into battle alongside Fralk, who took his AK-74 and used the weapon to kill numerous warriors of Reatur's armies near his fortress. Oleg and Fralk were both killed when American astronaut Sara Levitt dropped an incendiary bomb from light aircraft known as the Damselfly, halting the attack. =Weapons= Handguns Vers Empire Handgun (Slaine) The Standard-issue handgun of the Vers Empire is a semi-automatic pistol with a compact design and a much shorter barrel than the Glock used by the United Forces of Earth. It will be assumed that the gun has a smaller magazine, in this case, 10 rounds, similar to a Glock 26 compact. The weapon will be assumed to have comparable range stopping power to a 9mm handgun. The weapon may be prone to jamming, as it suffers a jam when used by Slaine Troyard in the final episode of the anime. Makarov PB (Oleg) The Makarov pistol is a Russian sidearm developed and produced in the Soviet Union. The Makarov was the standard sidearm for Soviet troops all the way until the collapse of the communist regime. Nikolai Makarov designed the weapon to replace the TT-33 pistol. Firing the 9x18mm Makarov, the pistol had a magazine capacity of eight rounds. The weapon was selected because of its simplicity and decent stopping power. Since 2003, the Makarov has been replaced by the MP-443 Grach. However, there are still a large number of these Soviet pistols on the market and are used by Russian law enforcement. More than a dozen countries still use the pistol as their side-arm of choice. The Makarov has an effective range PB variant has a built-in silencer and an effective range of 50 meters. 119's Edge Oleg Lopatin's Makarov PB for its silencer, allowing for stealth, as well as the possible greater reliability, given the Vers pistol's possible proneness to jamming. Assault Rifles Vers Assault Rifle (Slaine) The standard issue assault rifle of the Vers Imperial Forces is a bull-pup style weapon capable of fully automatic fire. The magazine capacity, caliber, and rate of fire for the weapon are unknown, but it can be assumed to be comparable to that of its Terran counterpart, in this case, a 30-round magazine, caliber somewhere between 5mm and 6mm (similar to Soviet 5.45 or NATO 5.56), and 500 meter effective range. AK-74 (Oleg) The AK-74 (Russian: Автомат Калашникова образца 1974 года or "Kalashnikov automatic rifle model 1974") is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union as the replacement for the earlier AKM. The weapon fires a 5.45mm round at a rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute, with a maximum effective range of 625 meters, though it was, like most assault rifles, typically deployed at ranges of less than 400 meters. The weapon was fed from a 30-round magazine. 119's Edge While the Vers Assault Rifle does not take advantage of Aldnoah technology, and is thus similar to Terran weapons, however, the Vers assault rifle is newer than the AK-74, and is probably lighter, and is probably as reliable as the AK, being designed on the dust-covered world of Mars. Edge: Slaine's Vers Assault Rifle'' Rockets '''NOTE: Because of the limitations of the backblast and explosion of the launcher, the weapon can only be used in courtyards and other outdoor areas- the characters may discard the weapon if it sees little use and become more a burden than a benefit. Vers Rocket Launcher (Slaine) The Vers Empire use a rocket launcher equipped with a large scope and trigger assembly. The weapon has a single launch tube and presumably fires a high explosive anti-tank rocket, judging from its use against enemy vehicles and mechs. The rocket does not appear to be guided, though, given the size of the scope assembly, it may be able to launch guided missiles, however, for the purposes of this match, it will fire unguided rockets. RPG-7 (Oleg) The RPG-7 is a Soviet-made 85mm anti-tank rocket launcher. The weapon was first delivered to the Soviet Army in 1961 and, like the AK-47 has since been widely exported during the Cold War era, and is still in the arsenal of many countries and paramilitary organization. The weapon is known for low cost, ease of use, durability and reliability. To some, it's the very symbol of guerrilla warfare. The RPG fires an 85mm HEAT rocket with an effective range of 200 meters. 119's Edge Oleg's Vers Rocket Launcher for its superior accuracy with its scope. =X-Factors= Explanations In terms of combat experience, Oleg is a seasoned KGB agent, taking the edge over Slaine, who was in combat for only a short time, and the princess, who never really fought at all, and has only been in a combat zone for a short period of time. Oleg takes combat training, however, given Slaine's ability to pilot a mech and even an aircraft suggest he can't be far behind in terms of training. Princess Asseylum appears to have some martial arts training, but apart from that, nothing. In terms of brute strength, the larger Lopatin takes the edge of over the smaller Slaine, and, in particular, the princess. Oleg Lopatin is fanatically devoted to Marxist ideals, but even he tried to defect to the Americans if it meant avoiding nuclear war, meaning he was far from brainwashed. Along with that, no political ideology could match someone fighting to protect someone they love (Slaine). Asseylum gets a 90 as survival is a powerful motive, but she proves herself to prone to prioritizing the safety of those she cares about over herself.. The fight will take place in the Vers Imperial Palace, meaning Slaine and Asseylum will have the home field advantage. In terms of stealth, Oleg is a KGB agent, and has a silenced sidearm, however, even that can't beat Asseylum's holographic disguise, which can literally change her appearance. Finally, Oleg obviously wins in unarmed combat, but Slaine and the princess are both trained in martial arts, so shouldn't be too far behind. =Scenario= *'This battle will be an objective based battle- elimination of either party will not be necessary.' *Slaine will start on one side of a courtyard in the Vers Imperial Palace along with Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia, with Oleg on the other. Slaine will retreat along with the princess, and Oleg will give chase. Slaine must get the princess to a hidden tunnel leading to an escape spaceship. *Winner must complete all primary objectives Objectives (Slaine) Primary Objectives (Required) *Asseylum Vers Allusia must survive *Reach the escape spacecraft Secondary (Optional) *Eliminate Oleg Lopatin Objectives (Oleg) Primary (Required) *Eliminate Asseylum Vers Allusia Secondary (Optional) *Eliminate Slaine Troyard =Prologue= NOTE: This is an alternate universe in terms of both series canon Surface of Minerva, 1984 It had been two days since the American light aircraft, the Damselfly had dropped that improvised incendiary bomb that killed Fralk, and, as far as the Americans believed, KGB agent Oleg Lopatin. But Lopatin was not dead. Instead, he had been thrown away from the center of the fireball in the impact of the bomb, and survived with only superficial burns. Amazingly, his AK-74 has also survived the impact, appearing to have been thrown away from Fralk's now-charred carcass as the bomb exploded. His retrieving the AK-74, however, was about the only thing that had gone well for Oleg since he landed on this planet. He had escaped the battlefield, but was now being chased by an army of Reatur's feudal levies. Oleg outgunned them, but there were more of them than he had ammunition, and he could not get back across the flooded Ervis Gorge to his comrades. Now, Oleg was cornered into a cave. He could only hope that it exited somewhere... but about 100 meters down the cave, Oleg found something unlike anything he had ever seen before. It looked like a metal ring as wide as the cave was tall. To one side were a number of machines that appeared to be connected to the ring. But it was the middle of the ring that was most mysterious. It seemed to shimmer like the surface of water, but an image was clearly visible in it, but it was not the reflection of the cave. Instead, the image showed a vast desert of red-tinged rocks and dust. Overcome by curiousity, Oleg Lopatin reached out the touch the image in the ring. His hand seemed to go through, and became visible in the image. On the hand, he could feel cool, dry air. Perhaps against his better judgement, Oleg moved his arm through the mysterious portal, before climbing through entirely, finding himself in the mysterious desert. One thing was clear, he was not on Minerva anymore... Vers Imperial Capital, April 2013, two months since Oleg's arrival In the last two months since he arrived on mysterious planet known as "Mars", Oleg Lopatin has been in for some serious culture shock. The locals had never heard of Minerva, but rather, claimed that this was the fourth planet from the sun, "Mars". They also claimed it was the year 2013. To Oleg's fury, they told him the Soviet Union had fallen in 1991, and to make matters worse, this human colony on Mars was a feudalistic absolute monarchy. Apparently, in 1972, the Americans has discovered a mysterious portal to Mars on the Moon, and found an ancient alien structure there. Apparently, some scientist who now went by Rayregalia Vers Rayvers had somehow gained absolute control of the alien tech and used to subjugate the colonists and crown himself emperor. Rayvers had stepped down in favor of his son, Gilzeria, but he died in a war with the "United Earth" in 1999. Now, Rayvers was in control again, the empire was in poverty even more than before from the war, and the nobility held what little wealth there was on the desert planet- efforts to terraform the planet years before had been made, but while there was now an atmosphere with oxygen, water and other resources were scarce. As Oleg heard more of this alien technology, this "Aldnoah" as they called it, the more it sounded like if he could kill Rayregalia and his bloodline, he could simply touch a piece of Aldnoah technology and become its new master. The Vers Empire military consisted almost entirely infantry with little experience, except for the "Kataphrakts", Aldnoah-powered war machines that could be used only by the nobles, who spent most of their time in palaces, save for the "Orbital Knights", who were all stationed in Earth orbit, far from the Versian capital. The Vers Empire was ripe for revolution... Vers Imperial Capital, Vers Empire, Mars, September 2013, five months since Oleg's arrival "Workers of Vers! For decades, the Emperor and the nobility have lied to you! It is not the fault of the United Earth Government that you have nothing! While you're families struggle to survive, the nobles sit in their palaces, hiding behind the delusional belief that Aldnoah makes them gods! But soon, this facade will come crashing down! Like the Russian czar before him, Emperor Rayvers will face the People's justice for his crimes!" As Oleg Lopatin finished speaking, the basement of the abandoned factory that was the headquarters of the Versian People's Army was filled with applause and shouting. The assembled revolutionaries raised their AK-clones- made in an underground shop, into the air. In mere days, cells of revolutionaries around the city would storm the palaces of the nobles and the bases of the inexperienced Vers infantry, overwhelm their forces, and then surround and storm the imperial palace itself. Vers Imperial palace, October 2013 "Slaine, take Asseylum and go, I will face them", Emperor Rayregalia Vers Rayvers said, "Take the escape tunnel, hurry!" The situation was looking bleak, in a matter of months, a communist uprising known as the Versian People's Army had rose from the woodwork, assassinated most of the nobles on Mars and overwhelmed the bases of the army. The Aldnoah-powered Kataphrakts, the pride of his empire burned, destroyed without leaving their hangars. Now, the VPA stood at the gates of his palace. Any moment now, they would overwhelm the last of the guards and break in. "Grandfather...", Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia said through tearful eyes. "Go!", the Emperor ordered as Slaine Troyard led the sobbing princess out of her grandfather's bedroom where the aging emperor now lay- the "emperor in the throne room was a hologram. "Goodbye.... I'll never forget you...", The princess said as she took the last look she would ever take at her grandfather. A few minutes after Asseylum and Slaine fled the room, the door burst to the room burst open. Emperor Rayregalia Vers Rayvers looked into the eyes of Oleg Lopatin, armed with his AK-74, and several other VPA soldiers, armed with AK-clones or captured Vers army assault rifles. As he stared down the barrels of the weapons, he looked like a man prepared to die. "Emperor Rayregalia Vers Rayvers!", Oleg said coldly, "You are hereby sentenced to death for your crimes against the people of Mars. Do you have any last words?" "Only that everything I did, I did to bring life to Mars", Rayvers said. As the emperor finished his last word, Oleg's AK blazed, along with the other rifles of the VLA firing squad. As the bullets struck his chest, Rayregalia slumped over in his bed, and breathed his last. "You men", Oleg ordered, "regroup with your unit and blockade the palace, I'll deal with the survivors... personally". "At once, comrade", the VLA soldiers said in unison, and exited the palace, leaving Oleg to enter the hallway behind the throne, the same one that Slaine and Asseylum entered mere minutes earlier. Courtyard, Vers Imperial Palace, October, 2013 Oleg Lopatin burst into the courtyard of the Vers Imperial palace. On the other side of the courtyard garden, he spotted two figures with blonde hair, one male and one female. It had to be his target- Asseylum Vers Allusia, along wiht one other. Oleg took aim with his AK-74 and fire a three-round burst. The first two bullets completely missed, but the third only grazed Slaine. Asseylum let out a gasp of horror as she saw the blood spray from the wound. "Relax, It barely hit me", Slaine said simply, before raising his assault rifle, "Go for the door, I'll cover you. Slaine fired a longer burst, about eight rounds, which caused Oleg to dive behind a fountain. Slaine then walked backwards towards the door, in which Asseylum barely peeked around the corner. Slaine then fired two more three-round bursts, forcing Oleg to stay in cover. Oleg tried to force his foe into cover by blind-firing a burst of about six rounds, however, the shots, predictibly, missed by a wide margin, blowing out a window on the second floor of the palace. Slaine fired one more long burst, before closing the door and running down the hallway and turning left at a fork in the corridor. As he did, his lightly wounded shoulder brushed against the wall, leaving a smear of blood. It was about 30 seconds after the firing had stopped that Oleg had fired another blind burst and jumped over the stone wall of the fountain and cautiously advanced from cover to cover across the courtyard. Once he entered the corridor, however, it was clear the the princess and that kid were gone. "That damn kid", Oleg thought, "I'll kill him, he forfeited his life the moment he stood in the way of the revolution!". Oleg observed his surrounds carefully, noticing the depressions in the soft carpet from soft footfalls only moments before. Around the corner, he saw a smear of blood turning to the left. Vers Imperial Palace Library, about 2 minutes later Slaine Troyard pushed away a bookshelf that slid along a rail, one of several in the Vers Palace Library, the largest private collection of books on Mars, and a place Slaine had spent many hours with the princess, telling of the wonders of Earth, the oceans, the animals, and the blue skies. "Those days were all gone...", Slaine internally mused briefly, before returning to reality and entering the secret passage behind the bookshelf. "Come on", Slaine said as he reached out his hand, "We're nearly there". The princess too his hand, and Slaine led her into the secret tunnel, stopping only to close the bookcase behind him. About 100 meters ahead was the spaceship Selene, their escape. Hangar, Three minutes later Slaine Troyard sat at the controls of the spaceship Selene, the Versian Royal Transport, capable of interplanetary travel. The princess had booted up the Aldnoah drive using her activation factor, while Slaine took command. The hidden underground bay doors were open, and the ship hovered up, like a Harrier jump jet, out of one of the courtyards. On a second floor balcony overlooking the courtyard, however... Oleg Lopatin has ran outside when he heard the hanger doors open in the courtyard. When he reached the balcony, he couldn't believe his eyes- a spacecraft about twice the size of a large cargo plane was hovering, apparently using a VTOL system of some kind, out of a hidden bay door in the courtyard. Oleg, however, had one final ace up his sleeve: A captured Versian shoulder mounted missile launcher. Oleg looked through the scope, seeing a red circle around the spacecraft and hearing a lock tone. This this was even easier to use than the Russian Strela-3. Oleg pulled the trigger, sending a guided missile flying with a thunderous roar. The missile, however, never hit its mark. A 20mm Gatling gun on the side of the Selene retracted from its hidden turret, and fired, blowing the missile out of the air. At the cockpit, Slaine Troyard then flipped a switch on the instrument panel of the ship: the point defense guns were now in "manual" mode. Slaine placed the crosshair over his would-be attacker and squeeze the trigger. A burst of about ten 20mm rounds impacted, reducing Oleg Lopatin to a bloody pulp before he could ever realize what hit him. Slaine then pulled the throttle forward and flew up, away from the burning city. Ten minutes later, Vers Transport Selene, leaving Martian orbit Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia walked over to Slaine, now seated in the cockpit, letting the computer handle to Hohlmann Transfer to Earth. "Slaine... you saved me... there's know way I can ever repay you", the princess replied. "There is no need, Your Highness, your gratitude is more than enough. And besides, you saved my life when I first landed on Mars, remember? I suppose this means we're even.", Slaine replied. "Asseylum", the princess replied, "Call me Asseylum, I... I can hardly be called a princess when... when..." Asseylum tried to continue, but she her words were stifled by tears. Slaine reached over and put a comforting arm around her. For several seconds, the looked into each other's eyes. "I know it must be hard, but we'll make it through this, together. And I promise you, the people who killed your father will pay for what they did", Slaine replied. "And what about Eddelrittuo, what about her... and all the others", the princess asked. "She'll be okay, She's a bright girl. And when the time comes, we'll be back for her". Slain "You really think we can do all this?", Asseylum asked. "Of course we can, I'm sure we can get the United Earth behind us, we'll install a democratic regime- you never cared for power anyway. And... no matter what happens, as long as we have each other, we'll find a way." For the next few seconds, the two of them looked into each other's eyes, before they slowly moved closer. Slaine had half expected it, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be surprise when he felt the princesses lips press against his own. Two days later, Vers City, the surface of Mars What little remains of Oleg Lopatin has been buried in a mausoleum of red stone, with a hammer and sickle carved on top. On edifice itself read the world "Oleg Lopatin, Martyr of the Revolution" in both English and Russian. Now, the Versian People's Army was led by a colonist of Russian ancestry, one Yuri Chernenko. At this moment, Yuri stood in the core room of a Versian "Landing Castle", a large space craft, with a syringe of the blood of the late emperor Rayregalia Vers Rayvers in hand. One of the Versian counts who was taken alive, Count Cruhteo, told them that he Aldnoah activation factors could be transferred by bodily fluids, including blood and saliva. Apparently Cruhteo had a penchant for torture, but, ironically, collapsed quickly under torture himself. "You really think this will work, comrade?" a second high-ranking member of the VPA asked. "Only one way to find out", Chernenko replied, "And if he was lying, I'll see to Cruhteo personally". At that, Chernenko slammed the syringe into his leg, transfusing the late emperor's blood into his own. At once, he felt a tingling feeling in his hand. As he reached out to touch the yellow orb that was the Landing Castle's Aldnoah drive, it glowed bright yellow. "In the name of the people of the Vers Socialist Republic, I command you, activate!", Chernenko said. Admittedly, he was himself surprised that, at once, the whole ship immediately came to life, as attested by lights and holo panels flashing to life for the first time since the death of the ship's commanding nobleman. Soon, this ship would be joined by an army of specially designed Aldnoah-powered tanks, walkers (or Kataphrakts as the Versians called them), aircraft, and spacecraft, armed with new weapons such as ultra-long range missiles, laser weapons, and even force fields that disintegrated projectiles on impact. Then, he would unite the Earth under the banner of the Red Star... Little did he know, however, that the escaped princess Asseylum Vers Allusia, had revealed the same secret to the United Forces of Earth, who were busily refitting their KG-7 Kataphrakts, main battle tanks, F-22 Raptors, and other war machines with Aldnoah technology a well... WINNER: Slaine Troyard Experts' Opinion Slaine won this battle because of the objective-based nature of the match, as well as his superior knowledge of the terrain and more modern weapons. This, along with special items like his ally, Princess Asseylum's holo-disguise. Finally, his sheer motivation to protect those he cared about carried the day. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. Category:Blog posts